1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel semiconductor devices and structures which incorporate p-type and n-type layer disordering of multiple semiconductor layers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,583 to Northrup and Paoli, which discloses a method for making p-type disordered materials alone or simultaneously with n-type disordered materials, is incorporated herein by reference.
In particular, the invention relates to a number of overlapping integrated structures, including: diode lasers; N-i-P and P-i-N detectors; and N-P-N and P-N-P bipolar transistors; and N-P-N and P-N-P bipolar phototransistors.
2. Description of Related Art
Impurity-induced layer disordering of a plurality of layers in semiconductors is an important step in fabricating optoelectronic devices, such as lasers, transistors and photodiodes. The diffusion of silicon into multiple layers of semiconductors under conditions, such as Group V-rich conditions, forms layer disordered material. However, such impurity induced layer disordering with silicon was limited to forming an n-type material. In addition, while diffusion of zinc into multiple layers of Group III-V semiconductors forms p-type layer disordered material, such semiconductor materials were not suitable for use in many devices, because zinc diffused materials lack an abrupt and reproducible transition from ordered to disordered material.
Accordingly, most known devices requiring both p-type and n-type doped materials formed by impurity induced layer disordering could not be usefully manufactured. Further, known devices have not provided integrated structures with planar surfaces with interconnections that are built into the device. These known devices require substantial etching and/or additional manufacturing steps, making it very difficult to form a variety of different devices integrated on the same layer configuration. Further, these devices are not laterally configured allowing combinations of two or more elements to be used to form complicated integrated circuits.